CCW Safe

In this episode of "Inside CCW Safe" Mike and Stan talk with Gary Eastridge, Critical Response Coordinator for CCW Safe.  There's alot more to CCW Safe's critical response program than just a call center when dealing with citizens who have been involved in a self defense shooting.  The three talk about critical incidents, what they are, and how they are handled by CCW Safe.  CCW Safe bases the handling of critical incidents on their experience as police officers, and experience they recieved after being involved in shootings themselves.  

Gary is a retired law enforcement officer. He started with the Oklahoma City Police Department in February 1979 retiring in 2000 as an Inspector in the Homicide Unit. Gary also served as a department firearms instructor after receiving his CLEET certification in 1986. After retirement he worked as a police officer with the International Police Task Force (IPTF) in support of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Gary worked homicides with counterparts from 53 nations as well as mentoring local Police officers. Gary was named Chief Investigator for the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office in January of 2007 where he served until his retirement in April of 2017 to accept his position with CCWsafe. He reviewed all officer involved shootings occurring in Oklahoma County as well as in custody deaths and other significant and high profile investigations / prosecutions.

In this second episode of Inside CCW Safe Podcast, Mike interviews Stan on his history in law enforcement and his emphasis on training.  For 15 years, Stan was a trainer for the Oklahoma City Police Department, four years of that actually assigned to the police academy.  

The two discuss the importance of training for concealed carriers, the logging of training, and more. 

Stan Campbell has over 20 years of experience as a police officer in Oklahoma City. He retired as a Lieutenant over a street crime team, and spent over 10 years on the Tactical Unit (SWAT) and has spent 15 years developing and teaching self-defense curriculum. Stan is a certified National self-defense Instructor and has also instructed officers in British Territories. Stan has extensive experience and knowledge in the critical incident command system, officer involved shootings and use of force incidents. 

In this episode of "In Self Defense", Don West and Shawn Vincent talk about the "Loud Music" case involving Michael Dunn.  

Dunn fatally shot seventeen-year-old Jordan Davis at a convenience store parking lot after an argument over the loud music Davis and his friends were listening to in their red Dodge Durango. While Dunn claimed Davis made death threats, displayed a shotgun, and attempted to get out of his car to attack him, no evidence or witness testimony corroborated his account.  Dunn fled the scene and failed to contact law enforcement. A witness memorized Dunn’s license plate number, and detectives apprehended Dunn at his home the next day. He was eventually charged with one count of first degree murder for the shooting of Jordan Davis, and three counts of first degree attempted murder for firing at a car full of teenagers as they sped away. The state threw in a charge of throwing or firing “deadly missiles” for good measure.    

During the first trial, scrappy criminal defense attorney Cory Strolla, operating on a shoestring budget, made an impassioned argument that the state failed to disprove, beyond a reasonable doubt, Dunn’s claim that he shot Jordan Davis in self-defense.  According to a juror who spoke to reporters after the trial, Strolla convinced two members of the jury that state had not met their burden.  They refused to convict Dunn on the murder charge and forced a mistrial on the central count.  The jury was unanimous, however, on the three counts of attempted murder, although the opted for the lesser charge of second degree, telling the state they believed the act was done in the heat of the moment, not as a premeditated plot to kill. They found him guilty for the “deadly missile” charge as well.  

The mandatory minimum sentence for second-degree murder in Florida is 20 years -- each.  Dunn would get 60 years in prison for the shots he fired that hurt no one, and he’d have to stand trial a second time to resolve the question surrounding the shot that took Jordan Davis’ life.

During the second trial, experienced public defender Waffa Hanania represented Dunn and worked methodically to convince the jury that “Jordan Davis escalated this situation until he ended up dead.” The jury didn’t buy it.  After a short deliberation, they gave the state exactly what they asked for: a guilty verdict for first degree murder.  The verdict meant that the jury didn’t just reject Dunn’s self-defense claim -- they felt that at some point in the argument, Dunn made a deliberate decision that he was going to kill Jordan Davis, and then he did.

Don West, veteran criminal defense lawyer and National Trial Counsel for CCW Safe said that the Dunn trial provides a “list of how not to act” as a concealed carrier.  Here’s a list of some of Dunn’s biggest mistakes:

When Dunn pulled into the convenience store, he heard the loud music. He could tell it was coming from the red Dodge Durango, and he chose to park right next to it anyway.  Had he chosen any other parking spot, Davis would be alive, and Dunn would be free.

Dunn chose to confront the teenagers in the SUV about their loud music.  While it was within his rights to so, a grown man shouldn’t be surprised that cocksure teens out with their friends might take umbrage at a request to turn down the radio. Dunn invite